Exploring a City

Post by Mark Toal

As part of my job with Panasonic I travel a fair amount. I visit the same cities, like Seattle, often and I’m always looking for new ways to see and photograph them. I think photography is what keeps me sane on these trips. Winter nights get very long on the road.

I’ve try to get out early in the morning and walk around whatever city I’m in. It’s easy to keep going to the favorite spots to take photos like Pike’s Market in Seattle and to eat at the same places.\

My new way to explore a city is to cross with the walk light whenever I come to an intersection. I started doing it to try and keep moving and get more exercise but I was amazed at the new things that I would find. Great coffee shops, stores, restaurants and photos are around every corner like the pink dance studio.

Obviously you want to take safety into account. I don’t go down an alley if people are hanging around and I don’t walk down streets that are too dark. It works best in the morning when the light is good and I’m looking for coffee around every corner.